Ship ladder



SHIP LADDER Filed Dec. 2, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3 INVENTOR. 150 wdfeflfzzgfea Patented May 28, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SHIP LADDER Walter Kelsey, Tarrytown, N. Y., assignor to Lord & Burnham Company; Irvington-on-Hudson, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application December 2, 1944, Serial No. 566,261

(01. 225-41) 7 bers which are afixed at top and bottom to the 3 Claims.

The present invention relates to ships ladders.

Its principal object is to provide a side ladder for ships which is of simple yet extremely strong and light construction.

A further object is to provide a side ladder for ships which may very quickly be installed but which, when installed, strongly resists accidental displacement in any direction.

Another object is the provision of a side ladder for ships which may be used with relative safety in violent weather.

A preferred embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a side view of the ladder;

Figure 2 is a front or face view of the ladder;

Figure 3 is a top view thereof;

Figure 4 is a detailed side view, partly in section, of the lower parts of the ladder, showing one of the lower grab rail supports, one of the lower side pads, and the lower parts of one of the grab rails and one of the side stringers;

Figure 5 is a detailed top view of one of the middle side pads;

Figure 6 is a detailed side view of one of the grab rail supports;

Figure 7 is a sectional view on the line 1-1 of Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a detailed side view of one of the deck pads as well as of another of the grab rail supports;

Figure 9 is a sectional view on the line 9-9 of Figure 8;

Figure 10 is a detailed side view partly in section of the upper parts of the ladder, showing the upper parts of one of the grab rails and one of the side stringers, as well as of one of the upper grab rail supports;

Figure 11 is a detailed side view of one of the tread brackets and Figure 12 is a sectional view on the line l2-I2 of Figure 11.

The ladder comprises a pair of stringers 20, a pair of grab rails 30, a pair of upper grab rail saddle supports 40, a pair of lower grab rail saddle supports 50, a plurality of grab rail supports 60, a plurality of treads or steps I0, twice that number of tread brackets 80, a pair of deck pads 90, a pair of middle side pads I00, a pair of lower side pads IIO, a pair of lashing ropes I20 and the necessary rivets I30.

The entire ladder, except the lashings, is made, preferably, of aluminum or aluminum alloy. The lashings are made, preferably, of sisal.

The stringers 20 are elongated tubular memgrab rails 30 by means of upper and lowergrab rail saddle supports 40 and 50 respectively. As appears in'Figure 1,' the grab rails are elongated, tubular members which are bent at the top to form a hook shapedportion, and at the bottom to form an L-shaped portion. The upper grab rail support engages the yoke of the hook shaped portion; the lower grab rail support engages the foot of the L-shaped portion. Rivets I30 are used to aifix the stringers to the saddle supports, and the latter to the grab rails. These members may be fastened together by any other conventional means. t 4

In addition to the saddle supports grab rail supports are affixed at one end to the stringers and at the other end to the grab rails, also by means of rivets I30 or by any other means. These grab rail supports serve to brace as well as to space said stringers and grab rails.

The deck pads 90 serve also as grab rail supports, being afiixed to, and bracing and spacing said stringers and grab rails where the latter dip behind the former. Rivets I30 or other suitable fastening means are used.

A plurality of uniformly spaced tread brackets are affixed to the stringers by means of rivets I30 or by any other suitable means. Carried by said brackets and aifixed thereto also by rivets I30 or by other suitable means are treads I0.

Deck pads hook behind the bulwark I40 of the ship, resting upon the deck I50. It is upon these deck pads that the entire ladder is suspended. Middle side pads I00 and lower side pads I I0 brace the ladder against, and space said ladder from the side I60 of the ship. Lashings I20 lash the stringers to eyebolts I10 which are affixed to the side of the ship, and prevent outward movement of the ladder away from the ship.

It will be seen that saddle supports 40 and 50 are respectively provided with a shank portion M and 5I which is introduced into the top and bottom end, respectively, of stringers 20. It will also be seen that said saddle supports are provided with saddle portions 42 and 52 respectively, which are simply portions having concave contact surfaces adapted to receive the grab rails 30.

Grab rail supports 00 are provided with two concave contact portions BI and 62 adapted, respectively, to receive grab rails 30 and stringers 20. Tread brackets 80 are also provided with concave contact portions BI which are adapted to receive the stringers.

Deck pads 90 are similarly provided with concave portions 9| which are adapted to receive the stringers. And side pads I are also provided with concave portions IOI which receive the stringers.

It thus appears that the ladder herein disclosed, comprises, essentially, a pair of tubular stringers, a pair of tubular grab rails, and a plurality of treads or steps, a plurality of brackets or supports afiixing said rails to said stringers, and a plurality of brackets or supports affixing said treads to said stringers, all of said brackets or supports being provided with concave portions adapted to receive the stringers or rails as the case may be.

These concave portions serve a very useful purpose: they prevent a twisting displacement or torque movement of any of the members relative to the other members. In other words, these concave portions, when riveted to the stringers or rails, engage the latter with a locking grip which is stronger than that provided by the rivets alone.

Modifications of this invention may be had without departing from the principles of the invention.

I claim:

1. A ships ladder comprising a ladder proper and a pair of hand rails, said rails beng bent backwardly at the top to form hook-shaped portions which are attached to the upper ends of the ladder and which extend behind said ladder, said rails being bent backwardly at the bottom to form L-shaped members which are attached to the lower ends of said ladder and which extend behind said ladder, said hook-shaped portions being adapted to hook over the bulwarks of a ship, said L-shaped portions being adapted to space the ladder from the side of the ship.

2. A ships ladder comprising a pair of tubular stringers, a pair of tubular hand rails and a plurality of step members, said rails being bent backwardly at the top to form hook-shaped portions which are attached to the upper ends of the stringers by means of concave saddle brackets which partly embrace said hook-shaped portions, said hook-shaped portions extending behind said stringers for hooking over the bulwarks of a ship, said rails being bent backwardly at the bottom to form L-shaped members which are attached to the lower ends of the stringers by means of concave saddle brackets which partly embrace said L-shaped members, said L-shaped members extending behind said stringers to space the ladder from the side of the ship.

3. A ships ladder comprising a ladder having tubular stringers, a pair of tubular hand rails affixed to said stringers by means of side brackets and upper and lower concave saddle supports, said rails being :bent backwardly at the top to form hook-shaped portions which extend behind the top ends of said tubular stringers, said rail members being bent backwardly at, the bottom to form L-shaped portions which extend behind the bottom ends of said tubular stringers, said saddle supports being provided with shank portions which are fixed within the top and bottom end respectively of said tubular stringers and being further provided with concave seats which receive, and are afiixed to, the hook-shaped and L-shaped rail portions respectively, said hook-shaped portions being adapted to hook over the bulwarks, said L -shaped portions being adapted to space the ladder from the side of the ship.

WALTER KELSEY. 

